I thought I had some pictures somewhere, which would have saved 1000 words, but I can't find them!
At the end of 2017 I built a sheep shelter really cheaply from scrap wood and polythene.
I used pallets around the bottom, which made a solid base.
Then used 2.4m 2"x3"s every couple metres as uprights.
Inside I also put a decent, solid pallets at right angles to the outside wall every few meters to give more stability and help split the shelter up.
Then used odds and ends as roof beams, with polythene battened on top and sides, with a gap along the top edge for ventilation.
I have also done similar for poultry housing (300+ birds at a time) and have found it has worked really well.
I have been thinking about doing it again and getting more into calf rearing, but worried I might have missed something obvious that I need to consider. Will pneumonia be more of an issue than with barns/sheds? Spread of diesease?? Do I need to allow more space than usual? Will it be strong enough?
I keep seeing others using expensive igloos/calf hutches/new sheds and feel guilty that I'm not forking out big bucks for a fancy setup. It's worked previously for other animals, but would it work for calves? If anyone else has done something similar I would be glad of feedback, ideas and pictures.
At the end of 2017 I built a sheep shelter really cheaply from scrap wood and polythene.
I used pallets around the bottom, which made a solid base.
Then used 2.4m 2"x3"s every couple metres as uprights.
Inside I also put a decent, solid pallets at right angles to the outside wall every few meters to give more stability and help split the shelter up.
Then used odds and ends as roof beams, with polythene battened on top and sides, with a gap along the top edge for ventilation.
I have also done similar for poultry housing (300+ birds at a time) and have found it has worked really well.
I have been thinking about doing it again and getting more into calf rearing, but worried I might have missed something obvious that I need to consider. Will pneumonia be more of an issue than with barns/sheds? Spread of diesease?? Do I need to allow more space than usual? Will it be strong enough?
I keep seeing others using expensive igloos/calf hutches/new sheds and feel guilty that I'm not forking out big bucks for a fancy setup. It's worked previously for other animals, but would it work for calves? If anyone else has done something similar I would be glad of feedback, ideas and pictures.
